"An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will."

                                                                                                                          - Thomas Jefferson

Oil-spill Survivors Released After Cleanup

After a week of rest and rehabilitation, the first survivors of the Cosco Busan oil spill were about to be set free.

When volunteer Chris Giorni gently lifted a greater scaup out of the box and set it down in the shallow water, the first of the survivors splashed, then spread its wings and soared over the cove. A crowd on the beach cheered.

There was finally some good news, eight days after a wayward ship spilled 58,000 gallons of oil that killed more than a thousand birds and soiled the bay and Pacific Coast beaches from Point Reyes to Montara. Thirty-eight birds - the symbolic first of more than 888 that were rescued from the oil-soaked waters and survived over the last week - swam off, fluttering and flapping, into the Pacific Ocean .

There were Eared Grebes, Horned Grebes, Western Grebes and Clark's Grebes. A few Lesser Scaups and one Common Murre.

Over the next few weeks, wildlife experts hope to release more of the 888 birds that have survived the gooey bunker oil.

Addassi said this spot - about 25 miles from the bay - was chosen for the release because the beach hadn't been marred by oil and the cove fit into the right ecological niche.

"These guys are real troupers," said Giorni.

When the last bird had been released Friday, we all stood in our soaking shoes and watched. They swam off together, splashing and diving as if nothing had ever happened.

For the birds, it must have been like waking up from a bizarre dream. For the humans, it was a hard-earned victory.

To volunteer for beach clean-up, go to www.californiavolunteers.org.

One of the most persistent problems in education has been the achievement gap between the "have" and "have nots" in public schools.

At a KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) school, you'll see hands in the air and students paying close attention. There are high expectations, strict discipline and long hours.

Based in San Francisco, KIPP is a nationwide network of 57 charter schools. KIPP stands for "knowledge is power." They've opened six schools in the Bay Area in the last five years. Most go from 5th to 8th grade, and they are all free public schools, open to any family. KIPP's goal is to attract low-income students from poorly performing schools.

"We go to our local schools and we ask them for lists of their lowest performing, hardest to reach kids," says KIPP Principal Jason Singer.

"We are now the highest performing public middle school in San Francisco," says Lydia Glassie, the school's founding principal.

"If a family decides that the school isn't a good fit because the day is too long or because the academics are too intense or the discipline is too strict, we absolutely support that because we believe in choice," says Principal Glassie.

But for students who stayed, the rewards have been tremendous.

"Every 8th grader was accepted into a college prep high school, including schools like St. Ignatius and Lowell, Lick, Wilmerding," says Principal Glassie.

KIPP schools get the same amount of money for each student as other public schools. However, KIPP does constant fundraising for all the extras they provide.

Test results now show it's paying off, but the kids already knew it. As one student told us... "We work really hard and we're number one."

KIPP schools are getting accolades all over the country.

San Francisco is one push of the pedal closer to offering residents and visitors a bike-sharing program in an effort to ease traffic congestion and to promote health through exercise.

More than a dozen European cities have government-sponsored programs in which bikes are provided for people to share. Last month, Paris started the most ambitious program yet, providing more than 10,000 bikes at 750 stations and expecting that the program will be double in size by year's end.

Now, hilly San Francisco is gearing up for a program of its own. A proposed city contract with Clear Channel Outdoor Inc. that gives the company advertising rights on transit shelters also would require the company to set up a bike-sharing program if the city opts for one. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the contract this month.

The cost to use such a program would be free or nominal, San Francisco leaders say, pointing to the Paris project as a possible model.

More than 100,000 Parisians have bought a one-year pass since the program started in July, and city officials report that the bikes have been taken on nearly 4 million trips.

On Tuesday the American Planning Association proclaimed North one of 10 Great Neighborhoods in America. The planners praise the physical character of the place - Columbus Avenue slicing past Washington Square below the spires of SS Peter and Paul Church, for instance - as well as the community activism that has helped to preserve the local retail scene.

Once a largely Italian enclave focused on the fisheries and docks of the bay, North Beach today is known equally well for such cultural landmarks as City Lights Bookstore.

Physically, North Beach hasn't changed much from 1940, when the Works Progress Administration's guide to San Francisco described Columbus Avenue as a "where stucco-framed commercial buildings with their awnings and signboards string in long rows." It portrayed the eastern residential streets as "endless blocks of weathered frame flats, staggered - steplike - one above another."

The San Francisco Zoo has about 600 new residents, but most people will never see them. Pacific chorus frogs keep a very low profile. However, for the first time since the 1930s, they're once again living in the western part of the city.

The reintroduction wasn't easy.

"The frogs weren't going to come on their own," said John Aikin, director of conservation at the zoo.

These particular amphibians were taken earlier this year from an industrial area 9 miles away on the east side of Potrero Hill. Zoo employees collected the eggs and tadpoles, also known as pollywogs, and raised them in tanks until they were big enough to settle into their permanent home in an algae-studded habitat the staff has put together.

"The idea was to create a wetland with native species," Aikin said.

more photos by Glenn Nevill found at:

http://raptor-gallery.com/

A falcon chick hatched from an egg rescued from the San Francisco side of the Bay Bridge took flight into the wild.

The 42-day-old peregrine, dubbed ''Little G,'' spent her first hour of freedom Saturday perched on the side of a building in Santa Cruz where she was released by theat the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group.

Little G was raised by researchers who took her egg from her parents' precarious nest under the bridge. Ornithologists said any chicks hatched on the bridge would have faced almost certain death from a car collision or a fall into San Francisco Bay.

The parents, two San Francisco peregrines known as George and Gracie, soon relocated to a safer perch on a city skyscraper and laid another egg.

''Little G''

Coit Tower is San Francisco's number one city-owned tourist attraction. It was built on Telegraph Hill in 1933 with money donated by local philanthropist Lillie Coit.

Visitors ride the elevator to the top to take in spectacular views of the city and its surrounds. But it's what's on the ground floor that fascinates San Francisco native Stepehen Worsley. Stephen Worsley, Coit Preservationist: "It's a time capsule of October 1934." These murals were painted as part of the federal government's program to hire unemployed artists during the great depression. Worsley believes the Diego-Rivera inspired works are being disrespected by what he calls the crass commercialism surrounding them. He's filed papers to try to get the tower listed on the national register of historic sites. He would like to see the tourist store in there totally removed.

That's not likely to happen, but the concessionaire's lease is up and the Rec. & Park Department, which agrees the souvenirs sold here are a little tacky, is now negotiating with a new team to take over.

The group, Coit Tower Partners, has bold plans that go well beyond just remodeling the store. According to documents filed with the city, the project would include a mobile kitchen in the parking lot, a coffee cart near the lawn, tables and chairs for an outdoor cafe, and a photo station.

See full story from

KGO News, 2 April 2007

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to make the city the first in the nation to prohibit petroleum-based plastic checkout bags in large markets and pharmacies.

Supervisors approved legislation sponsored by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi that would mandate the use of biodegradable plastic bags or recyclable paper bags. The legislation would take effect in about six months for some 50 large markets in San Francisco and would apply in about 12 months to large drugstore chains such as Walgreen's and Rite-Aid.

"Hopefully, other cities and states will follow suit," said Mirkarimi.

Aside from the petroleum required to manufacture them, plastic bags are blamed for gumming up recycling machines, taking up space in landfills and killing or sickening marine mammals.

Tree Tracking in San Francisco

In urban San Francisco, the public works department and nonprofit organizations work together to preserve and expand tree life as part of that city's efforts to create sustainability . The city today unveiled a new Web portal and open source application that will help those agencies, and the general public, keep tabs on a growing urban forest.

Citizens and sponsoring agencies in San Francisco have to apply for a planting permit to install new trees in common areas and on roadsides in residential areas, and for a removal permit to take out any tree, living or dead. This permitting system helps the public works' Bureau of Urban Forestry (BUF) keep track of how many trees exist, what kind they are, and who is responsible for caring for them. To make things more complicated, a private nonprofit agency called Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) is also planting urban trees and maintaining them, as well as helping residents obtain tree permits.

Business Council on Climate Change Formed to Combat Global Warming

Google Inc., Gap Inc., Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and other firms pledged Thursday to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and help make the Bay Area a leader in combating global warming.

More than two dozen companies joined the Business Council on Climate Change, a coalition of Bay Area businesses that promise to report and reduce carbon emissions, share the best green practices and advocate for policies to address global warming.

"If the environment fails, markets fail. As contributors to the problem, companies have a responsibility to act," said Gavin Power of the United Nations Global Compact, which seeks to promote corporate responsibility.

The BC3 coalition was launched at San Francisco City Hall on March 1 st at an event aimed at encouraging more businesses to join. The initiative is being organized by the Bay Area Council, city of San Francisco and UN Global Compact, which plans to promote the business-led initiative as a model for other cities and businesses worldwide.

Mountain View-based Google is committed to helping combat global warming, said Robyn Beavers, who heads its corporate environmental programs.

The Internet search leader offers employees a free shuttle service on buses that run on biodiesel, is working to boost its energy efficiency and serves locally grown, organic food at its company cafes. The firm is also installing more than 9,200 solar panels that could provide as much as 30 percent of electricity at its famed headquarters, Beavers said.

"Everything we've done makes business sense," Beavers said. "There are great ways to be a better environmental player and be a better company."

Beacons of Light to Be Preserved

Because these romantic icons of the sea have been replaced by high-tech buoys, shipboard computers and global positioning satellites, the Coast Guard no longer needs them and is giving them to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

National Park Service officials are working out a deal to take over the lighthouses at Point Montara, Point Bonita, Point Diablo, Lime Point and Alcatraz. The goal is to have them refurbished within a few years so the public can visit them.

The lighthouse at Point Bonita has stood for 153 years atop a windswept rock that juts into the sea from the westernmost point of the Marin Headlands.

Restoring the lighthouses so they are safe enough for visitors will take a lot of time -- and a lot of money. For example, repairing the bridge at Point Bonita will cost about $1.2 million, Batlan said.

The lighthouse at Alcatraz also could be opened to the public, but it too needs a lot of work.

The Coast Guard will continue to maintain the beacons and foghorns, but everything else will be the park's responsibility.

There's still the question of how the agency will pay for it all. Although the $2.4 billion budget President Bush has proposed for the National Park Service includes $23.9 million for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, it doesn't include any money to restore or staff the lighthouses.

He calls his home the “Bone Palace” and it’s fitting. He is known as “Bones Bandar” and he reigns over this palace which is a true spectacle to behold.

Ray Bandar still roams the beaches of Northern California searching for the carcasses of marine mammals as he has done for decades. This is how he ended up being the subject of a movie in this weekend's San Francisco Ocean Film Festival.

"He's the old world," said Beth Cataldo, whose 30-minute film, "Ray Bandar: A Life with Skulls," will be shown at the festival on Sunday. "He's very unique."

Cataldo became familiar with Bandar's handiwork months before she met him. As a volunteer with Sausalito's Marine Mammal Center, she was spending a lot of time on Ocean Beach -- and stumbling upon the headless carcasses of seals and sea lions. When she went to the "Skulls" exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in December 2003, she found the clues she needed: Most of the pieces came from Bandar.

A native San Franciscan who grew up in the Richmond District, Bandar began acquiring specimens in junior high. "Reptile Ray," as he was known, now has more than 7,000 skulls, including at least 2,600 from California marine mammals.

His own discoveries -- sanctioned by state and federal permits -- are supplemented by what he's gotten from local zoos, museums, taxidermists, roadkill, and trips to Australia, Africa and Mexico. Many of the objects appeared in his classroom during his 32 years at Fremont High in Oakland, teaching biology, human anatomy and physiology.

In his house, much of the animal world is represented, and everything is meticulously recorded and arranged. Bandar doesn't own anything as common as a cell phone, television or computer, but anyone who wants to see Malayan sun bears, Tibetan antelopes or four species of wallaby has come to the right place.

"I'm a collector," said Bandar, in colossal understatement.

When people see him on the beach sawing through sea lion hides, they sometimes think he's homeless or deranged. The accompanying odors don't help.

"Most of the stuff I do is smelly stuff," said Bandar, who relies on bacterial macerations, maggots and beetles to help him strip the flesh from the skulls.

In Cataldo's film, Alkmene, Ray’s wife, says, "I have a very weak sense of smell. It's how the marriage has survived."

In 2000 the Board of Supervisors named the California Quail the official bird of San Francisco.

A mere 20 years ago, the state bird of California, Callipepla californica, was bountiful in the Presidio.

Quail habitats were decimated by an aggressive campaign to purge the parks of homeless people. This involved cutting back the deep underbrush where quail like to hide out. In addition, the preservation of tall, stoic trees such as cypress, pine, and eucalyptus has meant an increase in habitats for quail predators like hawks and ravens, which prefer to spot prey from a heightened roost. As these factors conspired, numbers continued to drop.

Alan Hopkins started an education-and-restoration campaign called "Save the Quail" in the '90s. His hope was that the more people were aware of the quail and the small things they could do to save them, like preserving certain plants in their yards and keeping their cats indoors, the more it would benefit the birds and the parks.

"Brush rabbits, wrentits, Western screech owls, and the California quail" are the common wildlife listed off by Josiah Clark, a San Francisco native who spent his childhood scrambling around the Presidio with his binoculars. Since the former US Army base was decommissioned and opened to the public, the wrentit and screech owl have disappeared, and the quail are flying the coop too, despite the protective national-park status of the city's largest natural area.

The decimation of local quail is a phenomenon not exclusive to the Presidio. The population in Golden Gate Park has also dropped to just few birds.

The plan to blanket San Francisco with free wireless Internet access moved a step closer to reality on January 5th, when the city signed a contract with EarthLink and Google to install and operate the system.

The agreement puts into print an initiative that has generated worldwide attention for both its ambition and for Google's celebrity.

"This agreement to bring free universal wireless Internet access to San Francisco is a critical step in bridging the digital divide that separates too many communities from the enormous benefits of technology," Mayor Newsom said in a statement. "Ubiquitous Wi-Fi will change how residents access education, social services and economic opportunities."

As part of the agreement, EarthLink will set up a test before deploying its Wi-Fi citywide shortly after the deal is approved by the supervisors. The entire network is expected to take less than a year to complete.

HISTORY: The outside walls of St. Brigid are beautiful and historic. They’re made of recycled San Francisco granite curbstones collected by St. Brigid’s thrifty first pastor. But it is the inside which contains a century’s worth of statuary, stained glass and artwork. The inside of St. Brigid is where San Franciscans took refuge after the 1906 earthquake.

TODAY: Developers with support from supervisor Alioto-Pier are looking to demolish the building in part or whole for economic gain with little regard for St. Brigid's historic significance and beauty.

See full story at: http://beautifulbuildings.wordpress.com/

The NAP (Natural Areas Program) was originated out of concerns about protecting remnants of plants and wildlife that were native to the San Francisco peninsula and whose numbers were dwindling.

The NAP Management Plan is over 700 pages long and can be referenced at: http://www.parks.sfgov.org/site/recpark_index.asp?id=1896

Jake Sigg of the California Native Plant Society has offered useful information about the Natural Areas Program. Read by clicking HERE.

The city is on the verge of passing a plan to provide comprehensive care to estimated 82,000 people.

In a bold experiment, San Francisco moved a step closer this week to accomplishing what no municipality has done before: offering comprehensive healthcare services to all uninsured residents. Illegal immigrants living in the city would also be eligible.

With the number of uninsured Americans estimated at 46 million, healthcare experts described the proposal as an innovative local attempt to address a growing national crisis.

"It is possible to achieve universal healthcare. If it doesn't start nationally, it'll have to start city by city," said Grumbach, who served on a mayoral committee that proposed details of the plan.

The proposal would offer anyone seeking care within the city the option of enrolling in the program. Patients would get a card and pay a monthly fee on a sliding scale, based on income.

Among the more controversial elements of the plan is a requirement that businesses employing 20 or more people either pay into the plan or contribute to the cost of their employees' healthcare through other means, such as private insurance or health savings accounts.

"Our goal is to provide an actual system whereby people have everything from primary care to pharmaceuticals, including access to specialty care, if needed, for all uninsured San Franciscans," said Jennifer Petrucione, spokeswoman for Mayor Gavin Newsom, who worked on the measure with Supervisor Tom Ammiano.

If it receives final approval next week, it is expected to be signed by the mayor. The first phase of the Health Access Program would begin operation July 1, 2007.

See full story from L.A. Times, 20 July 2006

From the Presidio to the bison paddock and botanical gardens of Golden Gate Park, there have been a handful of coyote sightings. Rose Denis with the San Francisco Recreation has said that "Somebody that works at the conservatory of flowers has reported sightings. Some of the gardeners have reported sightings." Vicky Guldbech with San Francisco Animal Care and Control insists the coyotes are not a public nuisance.

In fact these natural predators may help with the feral cat problems in both Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. Feral cats are not native to California, but coyotes certainly are. Feral cats have decimated some bird populations. Our state and city bird, the California Quail, once thrived in both Golden Gate Park and the Presidio, but their numbers have dwindled since feral cats were introduced to these areas. These wiley coyotes may help restore the balance.

Peregrine Still Flying High and Fast in

San Francisco

The falcons start courting around Valentine's Day. Their eggs incubate for 32 days. The chicks stay in the nest for 42 days and then try to fly. Within a few weeks, the fledglings relocate for good.

The raptors can dive for prey at speeds of 200 mph.

This pair has been named George and Gracie by the man that first discovered them nesting here in the city, Neil Morse.

PG&E has footed the bill for the NESTCAM.

The endangered falcon pair have begun nesting on the 30th floor of the Equity Office's at 201 Mission in San Francisco. They moved there after successfully nesting on the nearby PG&E building.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama broke his regular schedule, normally planned seven years in advance, and accepted an invitation from the global Muslim community to discuss the most momentous issue of our time -- how to mitigate religious intolerance and promote understanding and compassion among Muslims and peoples of all faiths.

The summit convened today in San Francisco marked the first time the global Muslim community has engaged the Dalai Lama in the effort to address religious extremism.

The Dalai Lama was joined by approximately 100 world-renowned scholars, teachers, and leaders of Christian, Hindu, Jewish and other faiths who met with their Muslim and Buddhist counterparts and took part in the landmark discussion. In addition to Syyid Sayeed, the religious and spiritual leaders' summit included Robert Thurman, Ph.D., professor and first western Tibetan monk; Rabbi Jack Bemporad, director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding; Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, founder of Zaytuna Institute; Huston Smith, distinguished professor of philosophy and religion and author of several books, including, Forgotten Truth: The Common Vision of the World's Religions, among others.

The summit participants joined the Dalai Lama in changing previous commitments in order to participate in the historic discussions, even though it occurred during one of the most religiously-significant weekends of the year -- The Prophet's birthday, Easter, Passover. The group assembled in order to celebrate unity and denounce religious intolerance. The Organising Committee said in a statement:

"Religious intolerance, and the violence that tragically attends it, have masqueraded as a legitimate expression of religious conviction and have grabbed the world stage from the majority voices of reason. Those attending this gathering want to rectify this imbalance as they are acutely aware that political and economic agendas, however disguised, have no place in religious practice; and they are committed to acting in their communities to promote compassion and counter divisiveness."

Adapted from: Business Wire, 15 April 06

The Center for Biological Diversity wants a federal judge to order pesticide-free zones around the habitat of California's celebrated but dwindling population of red-legged frogs.

This conservation group has sought buffer zones, consumer warnings and a timetable for government compliance in papers filed Monday with U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White of San Francisco. White ruled in September that the Environmental Protection Agency had violated its legal duty to determine whether 66 pesticides were harming the frog or its habitat.

Besides the buffer zones -- 200 feet around streams and ponds inhabited by the frog, and an additional 300 feet for aerial spraying -- the conservationists asked White to require notices at stores and labels on products warning consumers that the pesticides may harm amphibians.

They also asked the judge to give the EPA three years to consult with biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and make sure the pesticides are not jeopardizing the frog.

The red-legged frog has disappeared from nearly three-quarters of its natural range and has declined to 10 percent of its original population. The main culprit is farm development, which has destroyed the frog's habitat. The federal government listed it as a threatened species in 1996.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit in 2002, accusing the EPA of ignoring studies linking pesticides with the decline of amphibians.

White, an appointee of President Bush, said in his September ruling that the conservation group had submitted studies showing that 47 of the 66 pesticides named in its lawsuit could harm the frog. It also produced an expert's report suggesting the other 19 chemicals might be contributing to the species' decline.

The judge told the EPA to assess the effects of the pesticides.

Sunday's (December 11, 2005) daring rescue was the first successful attempt on the West Coast to free an entangled Humpback Whale, said Shelbi Stoudt, stranding manager for the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.

The 45- to 50-foot female humpback is estimated to weigh 50 tons. Humpback Whales use a migratory route between the Northern California coast and Baja California. This one became entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots.

It was spotted by a crab fisherman at 8:30 a.m. The Marine Mammal Center was alerted and a team of divers was gathered. By 2:30 p.m., the rescuers had reached the whale and evaluated the situation. Team members realized the only way to save the endangered leviathan was to dive into the water and cut the ropes.

It was a very risky maneuver, Stoudt said, because the mere flip of a humpback's massive tail can kill a person.

Rope was wrapped at least four times around the tail, the back and the left front flipper, and there was a line in the whale's mouth.

At least 12 crab traps, weighing 90 pounds each, hung off the whale, the divers said. The combined weight was pulling the whale downward, forcing it to struggle mightily to keep its blow- hole out of the water.

When the whale realized it was free, it began swimming around in circles, according to the rescuers. It is said to have swam to each diver, nuzzled him and then swam to the next one.

Humpback Whales are known for their complex vocalizations that sound like singing and for their acrobatic breaching, an apparently playful activity in which they lift almost their entire bodies out of the water and splash down.

Before 1900, an estimated 15,000 humpbacks lived in the North Pacific, but the population was severely reduced by commercial whaling. In the 20th century, their numbers dwindled to fewer than 1,000. An international ban on commercial whaling was instituted in 1964, but humpbacks are still endangered. Between 5,000 and 7,500 humpbacks are left in the world's oceans, and many of those survivors migrate through the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

Whale experts say it's nice to think that the whale was thanking its rescuers, but nobody really knows what was on its mind.

Humpback Whales hold a special place in the hearts of Bay Area residents ever since one that came to be known as Humphrey journeyed up the Sacramento River in 1985. The wayward creature swam into a slough in Rio Vista, attracting 10,000 people a day as whale experts tried desperately to turn it around. Humphrey went back to sea after 25 days of near-pandemonium and worldwide media attention.

In the fall of 1990, Humphrey turned up again inside the bay in shallow water near the Bayshore Freeway, finally beaching on mud flats near Double Rock, just off the Candlestick parking lot. He remained stuck for 25 hours, until volunteers, helped by a 41-foot Coast Guard boat, pulled him free and sent him back to the ocean. He has not been seen since.

Adapted from: SF Chronicle, 14 DEC 05

For more information on whales: Cetos Research Organization

As the owners of the 4 Star Theater face possible eviction, they are counting on a San Francisco law passed last year to allow them to keep showing movies at the theater, which has been a Richmond District mainstay since the nickelodeon days.

Co-sponsored by Jake McGoldrick, the District 1 supervisor who represents the Richmond District, and Supervisor Aaron Peskin, the 2004 law requires that any project proposing to eliminate a neighborhood theater will be subject to a conditional-use process -- meaning the owners will have to appear at a public hearing before the Planning Commission and prove that the elimination of a theater will not adversely affect the commercial district in that neighborhood, that the theater was not commercially viable and that the elimination of the theater would not result in the loss of historically significant architecture.

We do not look favorably on the death of a neighborhood theater," said McGoldrick, whose district has seen the closing of the Alexandria and the Coronet in the past two years. "The interest in losing the 4 Star is somewhere between zero and minus one."

McGoldrick, citing an "overwhelming correspondence" from his constituents, helped shepherd the bill (which was passed 10-1) because of the historical significance of the 4 Star and the theater's original programming -- aside from its schedule of second-run Hollywood, foreign and independent fare, it is the only theater in the United States that shows current Hong Kong movies, often within days of their release in Hong Kong.

see: www.CollegeNotCombat.org

Literacy for Environmental Justice is spearheading The Living Classroom. It will be a self-sustaining environmental education center and demonstration greenhouse located in the southeastern corner of San Francisco at Heron's Head Park, near the base of the antiquated Hunters Point Power Plant.

The Living Classroom's primary function will be to educate the residents of the city of San Francisco, as well as visitors from elsewhere in the region along the themes of Ecology, Society and Wellbeing.

All Living Classroom activities will be affordable, cultural and age appropriate. They will address community needs and interests. Some examples of projected programs include:

• Wetland ecology and habitat restoration
• Ecological design (green building)
• Solar energy and efficiency
• Alternative wastewater treatment and water reclamation
• Sustainability issue debates and panel discussions (culture, economy, and environment)

See story from SF Chronicle, 28 Sep 05

See story from SF Chronicle, 9 July 04 on Heron's Head Park.

Construction crews building a new high-rise condominium project in downtown San Francisco have uncovered a maritime mystery -- the remains of a large wooden sailing ship that probably dates from the Gold Rush. The remains of the ship were discovered last week 20 feet below Folsom Street near Spear Street.

Archaeologist Richard Everett, a curator at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, said that the site had once been the location of a ship-breaking yard owned by Charles Haer, and the ship was almost surely a relic of the Gold Rush. Haer specialized in acquiring ships that had been anchored and left to moulder away in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Cove. He had them towed to his yard at what is now Folsom and Spear streets, where he employed Chinese crews to dismantle the ships. Typically, ship-breaking yards tried to salvage metal fittings and usable timber. "It was a kind of maritime junkyard,'' Everett said.

Haer, who operated his ship-breaking business for about 10 years, had plenty of ships to choose from. More than 805 vessels, carrying passengers from all over the world, entered the Golden Gate in 1849 alone as San Francisco turned from a village into a city almost overnight. Most of the ships anchored in Yerba Buena Cove never went to sea again, abandoned as their passengers and often their entire crew left in search of gold. Some were put to other uses -- offices, stores and a hotel. One ship was even used as the city jail.

James Allan, an archaeologist with William Self Associates, the firm is cataloging the remains of the 125 foot long ship, thinks the ship was built in the 1820s, perhaps as early as 1810. Old ships like this were pressed into service to carry gold seekers to California. In many cases, it was their last voyage.

Tishman Speyer, the firm that is developing the condominium project, released a statement from its spokesmen in New York, promising to "strictly adhere'' to San Francisco guidelines for excavation and documentation of the ship.

The discovery is one of about 40 ships known to lie under the streets of downtown San Francisco. Maritime historian James Delgado, who has written a book on San Francisco's buried ships, thinks there may be as many as 75 ships under downtown, most of them as yet undiscovered. The last buried ship to be uncovered was the General Harrison, a Gold Rush ship discovered in the Financial District in 2001.

Allan said he and representatives of Tishman Speyer would meet with experts from the S.F. Maritime Historical Park to see how much of the ship could be salvaged and how to proceed.

See full story from SF Chronicle, 8 Sep 05

Animal welfare and conservation groups asked national park officials to require dogs to be leashed at two popular outdoor areas to prevent them from threatening plants, wildlife and park visitors.

The Center for Biological Diversity said the free-running dogs were menacing the threatened Snowy Plover when it makes its seasonal return to Ocean Beach.

The center and other groups asked the National Park Service, which manages Crissy Field and Ocean Beach as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, to act in the next two months on the request. The proposed ban would stay in effect until the service adopts a leash rule.

Story was featured in San Jose Mercury, 17 Aug 05 (no longer available via the web)

The Center for Biological Diversity is a coalition of 10 animal welfare, wildlife conservation, child welfare, and park volunteer organizations. They have filed a formal emergency petition asking the National Park Service to implement and enforce leash laws at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). Federal Regulations require dogs to be leashed or otherwise physically restrained in the National Park System. The GGNRA is the only unit of the National Park System known not to enforce leash laws throughout the park.

To read emergency petition CLICK HERE for pdf file.

It wasn't until 39 Chattanooga was threatened by demolition that Moses Corrette of the San Francisco Planning Department, began to uncover the house's hidden history. The clues were all there - the building's front-yard setback, its central entrance, the size of its floor joists, the thickness of the window lumber. The building had to predate 1870.

39 Chattanooga Street is one of the oldest houses still standing in San Francisco, and perhaps the oldest in Noe Valley.

There is a finite number of intact, pre-Earthquake buildings in San Francisco. If all these historic buildings turn into big developments, our city's history will be lost. The physical presence of San Francisco's past will be gone.

As of Summer 2005, the developer's plans no longer call for demolishing 39 Chattanooga. Unfortunately, these plans would still alter the house beyond recognition.

To find out how you can help contact: http://www.save39chattanooga.org/

(above text adapted from this website)

See also story from Noe Valley Voice, May 2004

The San Francisco Archdiocese announced this week that it will preserve St. Brigid for 10 years - but won't reopen it for worshipers. This “delay of destruction” would require any buyer of the enormous Romanesque church at the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Broadway to wait at least 10 years to tear it down.

The archdiocese's proposal -- which came with few details -- is an effort to get state Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, to withdraw a bill that could indefinitely preserve the church as a historic landmarkSt. Brigid was closed June 30, 1994, as part of a restructuring of churches.The battle over St. Brigid's future escalated after the archdiocese announced in January that it had applied for the demolition permit. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors immediately stepped in to try to save the church. Former parishioners want St. Brigid saved and reopened, while preservationists want to ensure the church, first opened as a parish in 1864, avoids the wrecking ball. Joe Dignan, head of the Committee to Save St. Brigid, said, "If they were sincere about preserving the building, they would preserve it in perpetuity, not for 10 years." The Committee is trying to get a landmark designation for their church. The landmark designation in San Francisco is reliant on Migden's bill becoming law.

See full story from SF Chronicle, 1 July 05

June 5, 2005 – Mayors from around the world signed an international treaty called the "Urban Environmental Accords" which capped the United Nations World Environment Day Conference in San Francisco. The nonbinding accords list 21 specific actions that can make cities greener.

"If we restore, they will come.''

For the first time in nearly 70 years, the Western Bluebird is nesting in San Francisco. They're back in San Francisco thanks to a decade-old restoration of native dune plants in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, particularly at Lobos Creek Dunes. The 20-acre sand dune might have attracted them to the Presidio.

The committee overseeing the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has decided to put the headquarters of its stem cell institute in San Francisco.

The Institute will be at 250 King St. (near the ballpark).

A broad spectrum of people supported the effort, including the whole Board of Supervisors. Notable donors of time, money and energy include Steve Burrill, a local life sciences investor and head of the Mayor's Biotech Advisory Council. In addition to helping coordinate the entire proposal, Burrill, along with Zoomedia President Barbara Lavery, offered to organize an annual, international stem cell conference, which they hope will bring in around $100,000 for the institute.

The Exploratorium is planning an educational stem cell exhibit.

Retailers with 11 or more stores in the U.S. won't be able to move into the historic business district of North Beach under a law passed Tuesday by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Board President Aaron Peskin said the ban was necessary to preserve the neighborhood's character. The ban applies to a section of Columbus Avenue and neighboring blocks between Bay Street and Broadway and affects businesses that maintain a standard merchandise, trademark or uniform. Supporters of the ordinance argued that the ordinance would prevent retail chain stores from taking business away from neighboring shops, restaurants and cafes.

Hayes Valley last year became the first neighborhood to ban formula-retail businesses, with two other areas in and around the Haight District imposing a higher level of scrutiny when such business openings are planned.

story from SF Chronicle, 23 March 05

story from CBS 5 Eyewitness News, 22 March 05

story from SF Bay Guardian, 7 Oct 98, speaks to the chain store issue

The Harding Theater at Divisadero and Hayes was designed by the Reid brothers, who were also the architects behind the Fairmont Hotel and the 1909 Cliff House. It's empty now, but a group of local small-business owners want to renovate the 1,200-seat theater and add an art gallery and café and storefront retail. That's a far better use than high-end condos. (From: SF Bay Guardian, 8 Feb 05)

The following organizations are committed to saving the Harding Theater:

The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation

Friends of 1800

Cinema Treasures

56 year old movie house, the Coronet to close its doors. It is a grand 1,200-seat theatre in the Art Moderne style.

See full story from SF Chronicle, 1 Feb 05 (highlights below)

Few American cities have been hit harder by the demise of single-screen neighborhood theaters than San Francisco, which has lost nearly 40 film houses since 1980. That dubious trend was noted several years ago by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, which placed the city's fast- disappearing single-screen theaters on the country's most-endangered list.

Even as the Coronet fades out, other community battles continue to save theaters like the neighboring Alexandria and the 4 Star. Showing how movie memories are hard to erase, residents near Alamo Square are even trying to resurrect the long-shuttered Harding Theater on Divisadero Street before it can be turned into another row of copycat condominiums.

In 2005, the Pacific Gas & Electric Company set up a Peregrine Nest Cam so that anyone on the web can check up on the progress of this year's chicks.

In 2004, Peregrine Falcons successfully nested on a San Francisco building (33rd floor of PG&E headquarters at Beale and Mission Streets). Populations of this once-endangered raptor are now doing well, particularly in cities, where they are finding plenty of prey (like pigeons) to feed on and lots of high ledges to nest on. "To them, big skyscrapers are the same as the sheer cliffs they prefer for nesting and foraging," said Brian Walton, coordinator of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, which is affiliated with UC Santa Cruz.. (Adapted from SF Chronicle, 11 May 04)

The Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group

USGS Identification Tips for Falco peregrinus

The Peregrine Fund Peregrine Falcon Recovery

U of M Animal Diversity Web - Falco peregrinus

Sacred Heart Church

An announcement by the Archdiocese of San Francisco that it plans to close Sacred Heart Church has sparked a backlash among parishioners eager to save what they describe as the Western Addition's only predominantly African American Catholic church. Sacred Heart has stood since 1897 but was badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Sacred Heart has special architectural significance, Pritchard said, because it is one of only two churches in California -- the other being St. Raymond's in Pasadena -- built in a classic Italian exterior style.

Complete story from SF Chronicle, 18 Sep 04

Have a look inside this spectacular church from website of 'Friends of 1800'

The Grizzly Bear that adorns our state flag hasn't been a resident of California since the early 1900s. Now in 2004 this noble creature is back in residence, but not in the wild. Two adolescent female grizzlies arrived at the San Francisco Zoo recently and they are the only two of their species in northern California. While we'd love to turn back the clock and restore grizzlies to the wild, viewing them at the zoo may be the next best thing. At the zoo people can view these magnificent animals and learn how they became extinct in the wild in California. Together we can work to ensure that such decimation of local populations of wild animals is prevented in the future.

(Adapted from the Audubon Journal, 22 Oct 04 )

Read about Monarch- the last of the California Grizzlies by clicking HERE (from the sfpix.com page).

For more information on the biology of the Grizzly Bear click HERE (from enature.com)

The façade of Market Street's Emporium Department Store survived the 1906 quake. The central rotunda is magnificent. These two features are all that remains of the historic building since developers betrayed San Franciscans and demolished the rest. This despite their assurances that more would be preserved.

Complete story from SF Chronicle, 2 Sep 04

Story was also featured in SF Examiner,
21 Sep 04 (no longer available via the web)

Northern California waters, already besieged by a variety of exotic species, hardly need an aggressive, taloned frog from a distant continent wreaking havoc on such a tranquil setting as Lily Pond in Golden Gate Park. African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) are a mighty beast. If their pond dries up, they either hop to a new one or burrow in the dirt until it rains. They're immune to most diseases and will survive almost any wound that doesn't kill them outright. They'll consume any bug, slug, grub, amphibian or reptile they can cram past their expandable jaws; they have among the highest salt tolerance of any amphibian. Lily Pond is tucked away between the AIDS Memorial Grove and JFK Drive at the east end of Golden Gate Park. It is surrounded by tree ferns and braced by a steep hill. It is a favorite spot for Song Sparrows that one can hear while strolling through or stopping in at this serene spot that offers a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. Wildlife experts say it's only a matter of time before the clawed frogs spread to other locales, if they haven't already.

(Adapted from SF Chronicle, 7 May 04 )